Letters to the Editor

Calls for investigation of oil well situation at Del Rey Shores project

To the Editor:

The following is a reduction of a letter I wrote to Los Angeles County CEO William Fujioka on May 21, on the subject of community concerns about oil wells at the Del Rey Shores construction site in Marina del Rey.

The demolition itself is shaking our condos next to the Shores project.

When the piles are driven in along Dell Alley, we should really shake. When they re-abandon the wells near us, the nearby condo owners should be warned in advance to put their glassware in safe places and otherwise prepare their dwellings for the shaking.

Is it too much to hope that the addresses of the affected condos and the time of re-abandonment be made known to our homeowners?

We request that the Shores construction be halted until we receive a coherent explanation of the confusions described below concerning the safe handling of the two or four oil wells on or near the Shores property.

The Shores project began demolition about March 15. Crews seem to have begun grading a few weeks ago. I was told that before grading, the oil wells should be re-abandoned.

I began an email correspondence with the case officer of the Shores project in order to clarify whether the oil wells were being properly addressed in the Shores plans. It began on April 4 and ended on May 11.

Then I found a letter from the homeowners association lawyer, Richard I. Fine, dated Dec. 10, 2006, which was sent to the county regarding the environmental impact study of the Shores project.

It was not included in the Shores environmental impact report nor were the maps he attached to an earlier letter he sent, showing four oil wells on the project instead of only two. These missing letters are only a part of the letters missing from the environmental studies on various subjects.

I call for an investigation of the oil well situation re: the Shores project before the construction continues.

I read in the May 26 issue of The Argonaut that the county has canceled this year’s Fourth of July fireworks due to budget curtailments.

They note that hotels, restaurants, retailers and local attractions will remain open – I’ll bet they’re thrilled. The local attractions on the Fourth of July are the local attractions of the day.

The county has been bleeding the Marina for years and has practically given the Marina to developers because it gives them millions for their general fund. The only payback they give the Marina is the fireworks and now they have taken that too.

For your information, I have been a resident of the Marina for over 30 years, lived on a boat for 20 years, and in a condo for over 10 years.